How much could Steelers get for RB Najee Harris in a last-minute trade?

There are rumors that some within the Steelers organization are concerned about Najee Harris. How much could Pittsburgh get for him in a trade?

It’s hard to know if there’s any truth to this or not, but recent rumors suggest that the Pittsburgh Steelers could explore trading Najee Harris before the 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time deadline on Tuesday. Harris has struggled mightily in his second season and the front office should at least be weighing their options.

The latest report that these two parties could be looking to part ways comes from uSTADIUM, in which they claim that the organization and Harris are ‘weighing their options’ about his future. While I would question the validity of these rumors, it does make some sense to at least gauge the market for Najee right now.

Though he has done nothing but hurt his potential trade value this season, Najee Harris still may be viewed as a respectable player around the league who could use a fresh start early in his career. He is just halfway through his second NFL season and perhaps a GM out there who really liked him during the pre-draft process could try to bid on him before the deadline.

How much could Steelers get for Najee Harris in a trade?

If the Steelers were to make such a brash decision, it would have to be worth their while. Despite his struggles, Pittsburgh recently invested a first-round pick for Najee and they wouldn’t part with him unless the capital was right. So this begs the question: how much could they receive in a trade for their workhorse running back?

Back in 2013, the Indianapolis Colts forked up a first-round pick for RB Trent Richardson early in his second NFL season. Richardson was coming off a rookie year in which he rushed for 950 yards and 11 scores to go with 367 receiving yards in 15 games.

This isn’t all that dissimilar from the situation that Najee now finds himself in, as his efficiency has taken a big hit in his second NFL season. However, this trade came nearly a decade ago, and teams most teams have caught up with the times. Still, for a RB-needy team out there, it’s possible that the Steelers could get respectable capital out of Harris.

Recently, the San Francisco 49ers gave up a second, third, fourth, and future fifth-round picks for RB Christian McCaffrey. While CMC was much more productive and efficient than Najee, he also came with an injury-prone label and a massive contract. Najee has neither of those attached to his name.

Because of how much he has devalued himself this year, a second-round pick for Najee Harris is probably too much to ask for. However, there could be a team out there that might give up a third and more (or maybe even a third that could turn into a conditional second-rounder).

This doesn’t sound like a lot, considering the team just spent a late first-round pick on him a year and a half ago, but if they like Jaylen Warren’s running style better anyway and think that he should be used more, I don’t see the purpose of keeping a disgruntled Najee Harris around — especially if he’s not even close to an efficient football player on this team.

I really doubt the Pittsburgh Steelers execute (or even entertain) a trade for Najee Harris before the rapidly-approaching deadline, but they should at least be testing the waters. For the right price, I think a mutual parting could make sense for both parties involved.